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"Be Thou My Vision" by Son Francisco: Updating a Traditional Christian Hymn for the Modern Times.


Originally, "Be Thou My Vision" is a Christian Hymn that traces its roots to Ireland and Scotland. It is one of the most popular Christian Hymns in the United Kingdom. It has been interpreted multiple times by contemporary artists, mostly retrieving the Slane tune. I've heard the different versions of the song, most notably the one interpreted by contemporary artist Audrey Assad. But Son Francisco's version is a breath of fresh air. Composed and arranged as a ballad/lullaby, it evokes a Leonard Cohen-type song (though on the softer side of rock). I mean, there are really no replacements for the solemnity and the purity of the original hymnal version. But this is the type of arrangement that you can bring out to the secular world and transform the song into a more modern version.

Son Francisco - Be Thou My VisionI love the subtlety of how Francisco attacks the opening lines of the song "Be Thou my vision, O Lord of my hear Naught be all else to me, save that Thou art…." It flows beautifully with the soft strum of the acoustic guitars without diverging too much from the solemn melody of the original version. The succeeding verses follow naturally from that lead, with breaks and transitions to the next verses being interspersed by Francisco's artistry. Those breaks are what make him own the song, wherein Son puts the stamp of his artistic input on the song, with just a mix of right timing while paying tribute to the original version. And as we head on towards the final minute of the song, Francisco is accorded some space to play around by incorporating modern musical instruments that range from electric guitars to synthesizers. This artistic expression makes this song a worthy version to crossover to modern times.

And why not? The Lord should always be first and foremost the source of our inspiration on how we should be able to live our lives. To see ourselves following in His footsteps and fulfill the promise that He prepared for us. And that is eternal life with Him.

(Related scripture: Psalm 119:105; Proverbs 3:5-6; Colossians 3:1; Matthew 6:33)

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